Moishe House Mimouna Table
Moishe House Mimouna Table
At the end of Passover, Moroccan Jewish homes throw open their doors to friends and neighbors to celebrate the Mimouna festival. Though the origins of this celebration are uncertain, this custom, unique to the Moroccan community, became popular with others as well. In Morocco, Jewish people would visit each other as well as entertain Muslim neighbors, wishing each other good luck and happiness, celebrating well into the night. The tradition continues today with a festive table at each home piled high with numerous sweets, fresh fruit and dairy, and would feature the first leavened bread eaten after Passover. The signature Mimouna dish is mufleta, freshly-made crepes slathered with butter and honey. This dish in particular and the celebration in general, symbolize abundance and happiness, heralding the coming of spring.
We hope you'll be inspired to host a sweet and joyous celebration of your own.
3 recipes
Mufleta (Moroccan Crepes)
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 packet (2¼ teaspoons) active dry yeast
- 1½ cups lukewarm water
- About ½ cup neutral oil, such as canola, plus more for the bowl and work surface
- Melted butter for drizzling
- Honey for drizzling
Sweet Couscous with Nuts and Dried Fruit
Ingredients
- 1 pound instant couscous
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter or margarine, melted
- ¾ cup raisins
- ¾ cup pitted dates, chopped
- ¾ cup dried apricots, chopped
- ¾ cup blanched almonds, chopped
- ¾ cup walnuts, chopped
- ½ to 1 cup almond milk
*Traditionally, a larger sized couscous, similar to pearl, is used for this dish.
Boules Aux Noix (Walnut Balls)
Ingredients
- 4 cups walnuts
- 1 cup sugar
- Zest of a large orange
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- Scant ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg, white only
Recipes
1
Mufleta (Moroccan Crepes)
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 packet (2¼ teaspoons) active dry yeast
- 1½ cups lukewarm water
- About ½ cup neutral oil, such as canola, plus more for the bowl and work surface
- Melted butter for drizzling
- Honey for drizzling
2
Sweet Couscous with Nuts and Dried Fruit
Ingredients
- 1 pound instant couscous
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter or margarine, melted
- ¾ cup raisins
- ¾ cup pitted dates, chopped
- ¾ cup dried apricots, chopped
- ¾ cup blanched almonds, chopped
- ¾ cup walnuts, chopped
- ½ to 1 cup almond milk
*Traditionally, a larger sized couscous, similar to pearl, is used for this dish.
3
Boules Aux Noix (Walnut Balls)
Ingredients
- 4 cups walnuts
- 1 cup sugar
- Zest of a large orange
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- Scant ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg, white only
Listen to the Story
About Jewish Food Society
The Jewish Food Society is a non-profit organization that works to preserve, celebrate, and revitalize Jewish culinary heritage from around the world in order to provide a deeper connection to Jewish life. Through our digital archive of family recipes and the stories behind them, and creative public programs and our podcast that bring the archive to life, we aim to use food as a platform for engaging with Jewish Culture.
Does your family have a traditional holiday recipe and story you would like to share? We would love to hear about it, and so would your guests.
We encourage you to think of recipes as a gateway to storytelling around the table, a way to share your own family story and to learn about that of your guests.
Sharing Mimouna With Neighbors — in Morocco and Virginia
When Ruth Stulman was growing up in Rabat, along Morocco’s Atlantic coast, the end of Passover was celebrated with the entire neighborhood. Ruth would run from one house to the next greeting neighbors with terbah (from terbah u’tissad), an Arabic felicitation to wish one luck and success. When Ruth’s family moved to the U.S. in the early 1970s they brought their Mimouna traditions with them, along with recipes from Ruth’s mother Perla and her mother Freha. LISTEN as you make her delicious recipes or READ her story.
Make your own fresh Mufleta (crepes with butter and honey) to welcome back leavened bread at the end of Passover.
Mix things up with a Sweet Couscous with Nuts and Dried Fruit from Ruth's table.
Try these Boules Aux Noix (walnut balls) for a delicious treat any time of year.
Conversation:
* How can you use food to create a community or strengthen your ties to one?
* Are there holiday traditions that speak to your own family's past? Did they change from one generation to the next?
* Do you think it's important to preserve and maintain family or community traditions as closely as possible, or do you believe in updating and creating your own unique version?
* It is traditional to only eat sweet foods at the Mimouna celebration -- are there any special sweet treats you would share from your own background and family?
